social workers are paper makers - bloody yet, fun.

The accomplishment report of ACCESS has been keeping me busy for a while now. Somehow, I wanted to get out of that mud-pit and I want to finish it as soon as I can. However, it has given me an interesting feeling for it makes me look back to memories and reminisce what happened inside and out of ACCESS-Philippines for the whole year. It made me remember persons (who joined study tours, who facilitated trainings, who attended activities) and walk through places again (Perez, Pampanga, Smoky Mountain) through fragments of memories stored in the back-up file of my brain.

It is also my first time to write such kind of report, and almost everyday, worry throbs inside me on how the DSWD would find my report. Would it be amusing? Would it be informative? Would it be a report qualified for their standards? But, at those moments, I brush the anxieties away with "there are so many NGOs that they need to worry about and ours, is just one of the thousands in the Philippines".
 

[The picture in the cover page of the Accomplishment Report.

Yes. I am teasing you to read it.]

Today until tomorrow, I'll be working on the section about Secretariat and it is the most difficult. Because, to paint what the Secretariat does in everyday business in ACCESS is a hard thing to do. The Secretariat is the heart and the mind of the institution (and I'm proud to be part of it), but I'm at a loss of words when trying to describe how Secretariat staff supports beneficiaries and the staff from project sites. Probably, it is difficult to lift one's own chair. www 

 

And here I am, talking about work after a day's work. "Everyone really likes to talk about work", Ame-chan said last Tuesday. 

[When I get too tired, or brain is not working anymore, I look at photographs and get energy from them. I took this while I was walking in Mariposa St., going to office from Redemptorist seminary.]

In my 4th year in the university, I stumbled upon a social worker who said "I am social worker, not a paper-maker." through the internt. The person was agonizing with the pains of writing reports. I realized that reporting and documentation is part of the everyday life of a social worker. One might hate it at first, but if one does it creatively and regularly, it's a piece of cake which one would enjoy biting amidst everyday hard-work. So, from now, I promise to write more about experiences and keep my journal-writing. www

 

On other news, Noriel (the SSDN-youth leader) has been staying in office for a special piano lessons and music class with our intern staff. It's so nice to hear Noriel practicing the piano everyday. It made me want to get back to practicing the guitar again and trying-out playing the piano. But from tomorrow, he'll be back to his work of organizing fellow youth members. 

 

[Noriel writing for the newsletter of SSDN-youth. He asked me to edit it, and I was pushed in tears. He wrote about the youth being the hope not just of the future but of the present. But, how can the youth be the hope of the present, if they are nourished with their needs for development, at their present youth. ノリエル、おつかれさまでした！]

Today, アクセス日本 (ACCESS-Japan) opened it's blog for public reading. Please visit:

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/access_japan

Also, here's the link for アクセス日本 (ACCESS-Japan)'s effort to help disaster victims in Japan. 
http://www.page.sannet.ne.jp/acce/earthquake.html

New post up in ACCESS-Philippines VOA's blog. Click!
http://ameblo.jp/acce-philippines/
 

turning your back from a friend is a hard thing to do

Really, it was a hard thing to do. I was forcing myself to do it, as I said goodbye to Haruna, Bebe and Yuri tonight, and walked to the jeepney terminal to get home. It's been a year since I first met them and it has been a fruitful one. Within one year, we laughed with corny jokes, pondered hard on how to deal with planning of one-day-study tour, cried over lost money of fair trade goods and shared tired moments after a hard day's volunteer work.

Here are some of memorable moments I shared with them: 「それはなつかしいです」。It brings me nostalgia.

[VOA Meeting, sometime in August (?), Farewell Party for Shino maybe.
Every VOA meeting is a memorable experience - full of laughters and sincerity, at the same time.]

[with GET members Yuko, Uzu and Yuho. Bebechan was interpreter.
We interviewed two students from Ateneo about their views on poverty and Smoky Mountain.]

[at Manila Ocean Park. Happy times ♪♪♪]

[Summer Camp with SSDN-Youth and FIT members. w/ Bebechan]

[Tribute to Youth (Dec. 4, 2010) was product of everyone's hardwork. Photo by Nino Bayan]



[at Banaue with native Ifugaos, December 2011. 

In Banaue, we walked for ~2 hours just to get to the Spring. Happy memories. ♪♪♪
Photo by Nino Bayan]

[First ever VOA Meeting. June 2010] 

Probably, the sadness comes from saying goodbye to people of my age. It was easy to talk to them since our interests mesh. It was easy to feel comfortable and it was easy to be friends. That's why, it's so hard to let go. But then again, maybe the sadness comes from the fear that I may never see them again. But I keep reminding myself that it's not true. We all have the same goal and that is "to help build a better world and to help impoverished people". I believe that because of this goal, we WILL see each other again.

As volunteers, I learned many things from them. Being with them made me regret that I didn't maximize my college life to get to know more about NGOs. Through them, I learned that people don't need to have a degree on Social Work nor Community Development to help other people. What's important is the passion and commitment to "do something" as well as the interest to study more about what's happening with the world. Probably, there are only a few people in the world who naturally has these characteristics that's why I'm glad I was able to meet 3 of these kind of people in my life. They are my inspirations, and they are my idols and I'll keep working with ACCESS to meet more people like them. 

[Last picture near Cubao Office, before saying goodbye.]

 

べべちゃん、ゆりちゃん、はるなちゃん、

日本で、いつもきをつけて。げんきだね。

また会う日まで。ークリン

"every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." (Semisonic)

"Where do we go from here?", Fr. Jun asked the graduates of Redemptorists today. Graduation is a day for happiness. Yet, it also showers us with the cold water of reality that "You graduated! What's next?".

Congratulations to Marlon, Jun, Teody, Bong, Dano (Magna Cum Laude), Dustine, Harold, Herson, Kervin and Marvin for graduating AB Philosophy from the Christ the King Mission Seminary, today. Also, congratulations to my cousin, Karen. :)

future is blurry but I'd like to make it clear

 [Bloomfields performing at "Wednesday Habit" at Eastwood City.]

Life is blurry, just like this picture at Eastwood City yesterday evening. I went there with Filipino and Japanese volunteers to watch the Bloomfields and to see Yuri, Bebe and Haruna, for the last time. But, I learned that I would be seeing them again on Sunday and Monday, before they take Tuesday's flight. I listened, I drunk, I ate, I chatted and I watched Peter and Kuya Archie being scared but having fun jumping at the trampoline. I went home at midnight then, couldn't sleep. When eyes finally closed, the body didn't want to rise up until it was lunch time. Back to the accomplishment report of ACCESS at work, roamed around Cubao after work and now, reflecting.

Back to reflections... With life, we don't know what'll happen tomorrow. Though you roughly know how it would turn about, you don't know what sudden things may happen. 

While I was at Eastwood, I felt comfortable and happy but at the same time, felt that the world is not mine and that this world brings me sadness, which is ironic. I realized that I was a person who had traversed the two sides of life - the world of the rich and the world of the poor. I enjoy the music, art, food and comfort in material things that the rich has, as what I had a bite while I was at Eastwood. However, along with this comfort, is the sinking feeling that most people I met in the communities couldn't feel and experience this life which I had a glimpse of living.

I confess that Eastwood is for rich people. Koreans, Japanese, Chinese and other nationalities would often the place. Eastwood City is a beautiful place in the Philippines, build not for Filipinos, I thought as we were walking around Eastwood. And, at one moment, I remembered Aokichi who asked me "what do you like about the Philippines?"

-> I like Philippines because I could eat Japanese, French, Italian, American food whenever I want, and I could feel like I'm in a different country at some times, if I would want to be. I like experiencing other culture, this is what I like about Phil. But, it's also a problem.

At last, I thought again if I could turn back from my decision to walk with the poor. I could always turn back, apply in a call center and earn more money. However, I figured that the life of that wouldn't bring the equal happiness that my life as an NGO worker give. I don't want to exchange the smiles of children, the hugs from women, the tears of mothers looking for comfort and the people whom I work with who live simply but intelligently. I don't want to exchange all of this with more money.

[So many things to do for the Philippines and the World, so little time.
This is the busy street of Arayat, Cubao, I pass by everyday, coming to office.]

I have an image of myself in the future. But, I don't know how I'll reach that image, and sometimes, I worry that I might not. The future is blurry but I'd like to make it clear by polishing my feelings and thoughts about the life I chose.

concentrate on the goals, not on interpersonal conflicts.

Last weekend, I learned from Kuya Tito that "People, because of being together acquire interpersonal conflicts, it is natural. Our work is to bring them out the interpersonal conflict by making them look back to their vision and goals, and from there debate on how they could reach their goals." 

Last Saturday until Sunday, we had our Fiscal Year Assessment and Planning at ACCESS Philippines. For 2 days, we sat with each other, debated and thought of our next activities for our programs in the coming year. It was held in our field office in San Jose, Mitla Pampanga. 

 [Our Humble Field Office in Pampanga]

Each staff in program areas - (1) Perez, Alabat Island, Quezon, (2) Smoky Mountain, Tondo and (3) Mitla, Porac, Pampanga, presented their assessment points for this year. It took us the whole Saturday for sharing assessment points. 

[ACCESS-Philippines Staff discussing assessment points of programs in Pampanga]

Fortunately, it was also the feast of San Jose last Saturday (March 19, 2011). We were invited to the house of the baragay captain for lunch. I learned that Pampanga people try their best to prepare many and delicious food every feast day which is good for the visitors. However, it is bad for them since they enter into debts just to reach these hidden expectations from visitors. On our side, we enjoyed the food (and for once, ti's not true that "there's no free lunch"). On the other side of things, they spent too much.

 

[Kuya Archie getting food from the buffet table.]

We visited one house of our beneficiary after lunch, and found this:

[This is a stove made out of hollowblock.
Creativity of impoverished people come from their everyday difficulty in living.]

After lunch, we walked around the barangay and visited the Mitla Elementary School which ACCESS' helped in building. 

[Kuya Archie and Ate Lisa in roaming around. Kuya Archie was checking the grass and told us, the fruit from that grass can be eaten.]

 

 
[While walking around the experimental farm of Pampanga, I met him.]

The next morning (Sunday), we continued with planning programs for FY 2011-12. Each program area team of staff sat together to clarify objectives, activities, persons in charge and time frame. The whole morning, and until 3:00 in the afternoon was alloted to sharing the plans so that staff from other areas could give their opinions and ideas on improvements of each program. This is a wonderful learning venue for each program area staff, even for us, the members of Secretariat.

[Kuya Tito and Jane working on plan for programs in Smoky Mountain]

[Kuya Archie and me, working on plans for programs in Perez.]

At 4:00 (Sunday), we finished. And before packing for Manila and after 2 hard thinking days, a little souvenir from Pampanga:

[All staff of ACCESS-Philippines

Top: Kuya Tito, Irene, Kuya Maks, Jane, Sarah, Lisa, Jenette

Bottom: Kuya Lando, Kuya Archie, Hana, Maki, Me (Kring) and Ate Yeng]

 

Thank you for your hard work everyone! みなさん、おつかれさまでした！ 

 

Note: Pictures' dates are wrong because of wrong camera settings. >,<

Two sides of the coin - Japan's Disaster and International Cooperation

Some of my reflections in the recent disaster in Japan~

For one and a half year, Japan became my second country, though I haven't been there, through the valuable Japanese friends I have found as a Secretariat of ACCESS (Aspiring Citizen's for Community Empowerment, Inc.) or in Japanese, アクセス。The NGO has taught me that to solve the problem of poverty is not only through development of the Third World Countries but changing the international relations of the world because for example, the problem of the Philippines is connected with its relations to Japan. The NGO has taught me the essence of "thinking globally but act locally" through instilling in me the values of "internationalism" and developing me into a "global citizen". Being a global citizen, I view the world as my home and the people of other nationalities as equals, like brothers and sisters.

[Me with SSDN-youth organization leaders Noriel & Joan
and Hii-kun, FIT (ACCESS supporting team for Smoky Mountain) member]

This is the reason behind my anxiety while watching how the tsunami washed aways home, behind my sadness knowing that around 20,000 Japanese has died and behind my concern on the current welfare of the Japanese people. At that day, I was supposed to be working on the report for JICA, but I had difficulty writing the report due to anxiety and wonder if my Japanese friends are alright. I've realized all the good Japanese people I met are far from me because of distance but are too close to my heart and the hearts of Filipinos whom they met and work with while they were in Philippines. Human nature of worrying for a family member or a friend, is wonderful because it brings out another human nature - cooperation.
 

 

[Leaving was never easy. Saying goodbye to Nayukichi, Taketo and Aokichi at the airport]

The disaster brought by the tsunami, earthquake and the recent nuclear plant crisis has put Japan into a depressing situation. However, it is wonderful to see the human nature of helping each other at times of crisis. Help from the United Nations and other countries such as USA and even the Philippines, as well as individuals from all over the world poured in Japan. As it seemed, the sibling-hood of the world has developed fast. It maybe caused by capitalist globalization or by the world wide web (internet) but I'd like to think it was because of the NGOs, NPOs and the United Nations doing development work in all over the world. The world has really become small. However, I hope it leads to harmony and not war or oppression.

 

[Japan tsunami 2011 - This picture is not mine. I'm grateful for the person who took the picture and posted it here. Click!]

<http://articlesofinterest-kelley.blogspot.com/2011/03/japan-has-means-to-recover-from-quake.html>

I've also thought and felt before that Japan is a very far country from my own country. As I watch Japanese friends leave Philippines from the airport, it would always feel like they'll be leaving for another planet - a world very different from mine and a world we have shared in the Philippines for a few days. Japan is only an hour advance from the Philippines, but with regards to technology, Japan is centuries advanced from Philippines. But last Friday (March 10, 2011), at the height of the tsunami, I felt that Japan and Philippines is very close. A few hours after the tsunami in Japan, the Philippines had panic because of the announced possibility of tsunami too in the Philippines. In the calculations of geologists and marine scientists, it's only a difference of 2 hours before the tsunami reaches the Philippines, after hitting Japan. A few minutes after worrying about Japanese friends, I shifted into worrying about fellow Filipinos especially, people from my hometown (Bicol region). The 2 countries are very close, after all!

Therefore, we are not very much far and not very much different from each other. We are all human beings and being the same human beings, enlightens us to non-discrimination, respect of other' s culture and internationalism.

 

[Exchanges with Cocco-chan (FIT and GET member of ACCESS) and Jesse {ACCESS' Filipino volunteer)]
 

After all the reporting of facts, I was glad to see people in Twitter exchanging phone numbers, websites as communication centered on how to help Japan, pray for Japan, be strong Japan. In just a few hours, somebody has made a system in Facebook for finding out if your Japanese friends are alright by just answering "I'm here!". People who have closely worked with NGOs such as Oxfam, Red Cross, World Vision as well as the United Nations bombarded the netizens with plea and information on how to channel support and donations to these institutions. At the height of all these business of peoples, I was only in Twitter and Facebook, trying to communicate and check if my Japanese friends are alright and retweeting posts of others. In the end, I felt bad that what I could do was just to tell words of encouragement and inspiration of staying strong and "just keep swimming" to Japanese friends. I really wished and hoped that I could have done more than words.

about making a phone call

 Today, while facilitating an admission of a youth-member to a shelter, I needed to make a phone call.

Behind everyone's thought, I am actually afraid of holding a telephone, of making a phone call nor answering a phone call. Sometimes, at home, as a child, I pretend I was not hearing the phone ringing just because I don't want to put that receiver on my ears and talk through the phone. I'm afraid of the voice on the next line. I'm afraid to get shouted or to for the person in the next line to bring down the phone while we're still talking. And I don't quite understand why I have these anxieties.

But today, a fellow social worker scolded me for not making a phone call before going to their institution. Actually, I did make the phone call but no one answered. As it turned out, I called while they were on lunch break (~1:30). My mistake was I didn't make the phone call again. I was too lazy and anxious to make another phone call. However, because she scolded me, it felt like a phone call is just an ordinary thing for making work easier. Today, I learned that I shouldn't be afraid of the telephone or phone calls again.

After a day at work, I was glad to spend a little time with a dear cute friend, Yuki. 

Daughter of a co-staff, Miyuki. She was staying near my table and playing with sunglasses.

Fair Trade Corner in ACCESS' Office prepared by VOA - FTT.

Miyuki was playing with camera and was taking pictures of anything in the office. She happened to take picture of the fair trade corner and reminded me that I wanted to share this little corner to the world.